Journey to the Stage with Bryan Frazier

Petra is BACK and so is John Schlitt! John sits down with Journey to the Stage to chat about Petra's BRAND NEW album "Hope," their first in over 20 years. John shares about how the idea of the album came about and how it was shaped in the studio. We discuss specific songs and John shares which is his favorite. The reception and Billboard charting, along with the bands plans were among the many other topics we dug into. This is a great chat that end with a game that challenges John's memory of Petra lyrics!

To buy "Hope" on CD or vinyl, or other Petra & John Schlitt albums, click here: https://girdermusic.com/collections/petra-hope

For Tour dates and Petra news, click here: https://petraband.com/

As mentioned in the podcast, to bring Petra to your town, email Sue Dempster at [email protected]

I hope you enjoy this conversation. If you do, please consider helping me by giving a rating or kind review, and sharing this episode with your friends or on your socials. I do not make money podcasting, nor is it my goal. My purpose is to capture and share the stories of artists. Your ratings, reviews, and shares help that dream become a reality. 

 

Thank you from my heart for listening. 

Journey to the Stage Website: https://www.journeytothestage.com/ 

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/journeytothestagepodcast/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JourneyToTheStagePodcast 

Twitter/X: https://x.com/Journey2Stage

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAttWGi_zfuuqlYY8qRzABw

Omnis Gloria Christo

And we're BACK! After a bit of a break I am extatic to be back hosting the podcast that I love! I cannot imagine a better interview to kick things off with again than with this really great chat that I had with Josh Havens, vocalist and songwriter for The Afters. 

Two friends met while working as baristas in a Starbucks. They soon discovered some great commonalities- faith, a love for music, and a desire to make music. Soon thereafter, The Afters were born. Since that time, the band has written some of the most popular, anthemic and stirring in all of Christiandom; they have played to packed arenas aroyudn the world sharing the message of God's love and hope.

In this wonderful conversation with Josh Havens, we trace the steps of the band's formation, and also his own journey of faith, from his childhood to what keeps him grounded today while spending time on an elevated stage.

Josh and I cover a lot of ground and I am deeply grateful to Josh for being generous with is time. And as mentioned in the recording, I am thankful to Buckeye Dan Michaels for reaching out to Josh on my behalf and making this happen.

For those returning to Journey to the Stage, thank you for sticking with me through my break. 

 

I hope you enjoy this conversation. If you do, please consider helping me by giving a rating or kind review, and sharing this episode with your friends or on your socials. I do not make money podcasting, nor is it my goal. My purpose is to capture and share the stories of artists. Your ratings, reviews, and shares help that dream become a reality.

Thank you from my heart for listening.

Journey to the Stage Website: https://www.journeytothestage.com/

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/journeytothestagepodcast/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JourneyToTheStagePodcast

Twitter/X: https://x.com/Journey2Stage

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAttWGi_zfuuqlYY8qRzABw

Omnis Gloria Christo

Sean McConnell is a wonderfully gifted artist. His songs have been sung by artists like Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Christina Aguilera, Buddy Miller, Rascal Flatts, Plain White T's, Brad Paisley, and others. Behind the songs recorded by these artists, is an songcrafter who is deeply thoughtful and introspective. Combined with his talents, these traits create songs that resonate to the heart and soul, and bring about great interviews. 

 

Sean and I discuss his brilliant new album, "Skin," and so much more. If you are a fan of Sean's music, I believe you will love this interview. If you don't know Sean's music, my guess is that you will once you've listened to this. 

To get Sean's tour dates, buy merch, get news updates, click here: https://www.seanmcconnell.com/

 

I hope you enjoy this conversation. If you do, please consider helping me by giving a rating or kind review, and sharing this episode with your friends or on your socials. I do not make money podcasting, nor is it my goal. My purpose is to capture and share the stories of artists. Your ratings, reviews, and shares help that dream become a reality. 

Thank you from my heart for listening. 

Journey to the Stage Website: https://www.journeytothestage.com/ 

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/journeytothestagepodcast/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JourneyToTheStagePodcast 

Twitter/X: https://x.com/Journey2Stage

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAttWGi_zfuuqlYY8qRzABw

Omnis Gloria Christo

In this second and final segment of my interview with White Heart vocalist, Rick, Ric, Rikk, Riq, Ricke, Rhic, Rikcq, Ricque Florian we dig into how the band would painstakingly polish their songs before heading to the studio, and the time Rick didn't want to sing a line from a huge White Heart song. Rick and I talked about how he went from driving a truck for a Michael W. Smith tour to trying out for the band, aided by his friendship with his college buddy, Geoff Moore. We covered other topics and by playing a game to test Rick's recall of White Heart lyrics.

Rick was a wonderful and humble guest that is so easy to talk to. I could not be more grateful for the impact of White Heart's music in my life. The band set a high bar musically which I love, but it's the lyrics that touched my heart- so talking to Rick was particularly meaningful to me. 

I hope you enjoy this conversation. If you do, please consider helping me by giving a rating or kind review, and sharing this episode with your friends or on your socials. I do not make money podcasting, nor is it my goal. My purpose is to capture and share the stories of artists. Your ratings, reviews, and shares help that dream become a reality. 

Thank you from my heart for listening. 

Journey to the Stage Website: https://www.journeytothestage.com/ 

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/journeytothestagepodcast/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JourneyToTheStagePodcast 

Twitter/X: https://x.com/Journey2Stage

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAttWGi_zfuuqlYY8qRzABw

Omnis Gloria Christo

I began listening to White Heart in about 1986, nearly 40 years ago. There is much to love about them. As a fan of well written songs, White Heart has always been in the upper echelon for me. Add top notch musicianship, arranging and production, lyrics that truly touched my soul—add the voice of my guest today, and it’s easy to see why this band meant and means so much to me and so many others.

Rick Florian was the lead vocalist for White Heart for 12 years, 8 albums, helped the band reach their pinnacle with his powerful, clean and sincere voice, HIGH energy performance and a heart that loves his Savior.

This interview, in some ways, did not go as planned- and I LOVE it. With White Heart keyboardist and vocalist, Mark Gersmehl (or Gersh as his friends call him) making a surprise appearance, I just let the conversation run its course.

This was a fun and insightful conversation, that I split into 2 parts. You won’t want to miss part 2 where we play a game to see how well Rick can remember White Heart song lyrics. Part 2 will be released 2 weeks after part 1.

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With over 3 million podcasts in existence, being an independent podcaster is VERY challenging, especially for a non-celebrity like me. If you would like to support Journey to the Stage with Bryan Frazier, please consider supporting on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/JourneytotheStage

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Journey to the Stage Website: https://www.journeytothestage.com/ 

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/journeytothestagepodcast/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JourneyToTheStagePodcast 

Twitter/X: https://x.com/Journey2Stage

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAttWGi_zfuuqlYY8qRzABw

Omnis Gloria Christo